Alane

SANEF did write to me to say that as my card was about to expire they needed details of the new one - they also asked that I send a photocopy/fax of the image of the card. I wasn't happy distributing details of my card no, expiry date and security code on the back, so just faxed through to say that it was the same card without mentioning the number and informing them of the new expiry date. There was no response but the next bill showed the revised expiry date and I've used the badge without problem since. I find that while French drivers hang back as I drive into the booth that some UK drivers do tailgate me into the booth and realise at the last moment that they are in the wrong lane.   Regards Alan.    

Sue The brico places often have their own vans that customers can borrow for minimal cost. Bricomarche in Pont Audemer certainly had one a year or two ago and I've seen them at other Brico yards. You've probably found, like us, that the builders merchants seem to charge the earth for delivery to Lieurey and surrounding area and often quote two week lead times for a delivery. We did find that MagMat in Epaignes (think I've got the name right but they are visible from the Lieurey-Beuzeville road to the North of Epaignes) were helpful when they realised we were buying a lot of material and after the first delivery the cost, and delay, plummeted so that we got next day delivery for reasonable cost. Always friendly and gave advice on materials and alternatives. They also have an excellent range and prices (for the products I bought) weren't much above the brico stores. I also found their measures for sand and gravel were very generous when I collected with my trailer. Regards Alan.

I've just bought the car of my childhood/teen dreams - a Triumph TR6 of over 30 years old. I'm already planning the best routes to our house in France and trips further afield - hood down, wind in the (remnants of) hair, basking in the sun etc. Most of the UK based breakdown recovery services restrict their offering to cars of 10 or 15  years old. Has anyone experience of breakdown and recovery cover for older cars. I'm sure it must be available but can't find references anywhere. If necessary I'll put a box of spares in the boot and take the risk but if the cover is available I'd rather have it. I've had cause to use the AA 5 star twice this year (after years of trouble free driving) and on both occasions it has been invaluable. Best Regards Alan.

Amp No, it was organised by the Maire as far as I know. All properties in the village were tested. We did have some sort of warning and we were asked to complete a form stating number of rooms, size of tank area of property etc. but that was some time (certainly several months) before the tests were made. Best Regards Alan.

amp We had our ground tested for permeability (or so the neighbours told me - in fact he said that the inspector did a test on our boundary and gave us both the same result!)- passed ok which was lucky as we were one of only 3 in the village to do so. The rest are having to install filter beds.   Robin When you posted the info regarding the Daily Mail offer it was a telephone only offer - have they now published a code for the web site. We went to the Vivelafrance exhibition on Saturday and booked a crossing on their stand - similar deal of £49 for a 48 hour return. Brittany Ferries were offering cheap 24 hour stays as well. We're going out at the end of Feb for some gardening and to chase up the roofer. Out on Thursday evening, back on Sunday with the opportunity to visit the farmer's market in PA on Friday morning. Best Regards Alan.  

Robin How did you get a booze cruise for £9.98? Was that to Le Havre? I can second the comments about La Poste in Beuzeville but they are closed until the 1st of April. Details on their web site http://www.le-relais-de-poste.com/. The C-o-c-hon d'Or is also good in Beuzeville.   Best Regards Alan.

It's a shame they didn't publicise this before they terminated the POC scheme as they promised. LIke you I bought a large batch of POC tickets and had to cash in all my PointsPlus point so have enough tickets for the next 12 months. Only real downside is that use of the Club check in isn't included and long weekend Fri morning to Sunday evening incur premia both ways which can take a weekend up to £130 instead of the old £95. Alan.

We went over the weekend before Christmas and stayed until the 22nd. Last year we bought a fine goose in the Pont Audemer Monday market and thought we'd do the same again this year - but no geese. Luckily we were in Beuzeville on Tuesday which is market day and managed to buy one from a lady from a local farm there. I noticed the foil package tied to the side of the bird and assumed it was the gibblets. ON Christmas Eve as I was about to prepare the bird for the roasting pan I realised it was the head wrapped in foil, still attached to a fine sturdy neck, which in turn was firmly planted in the body. As a townie I've never had to get the neck off a bird before. Luckily my dad is a dab hand and talked me through the process over the phone. The neck and gibblets made some fine gravy (with copious quantities of wine) and the goose was delicious. I was particularly impressed by the Christmas lights in Cormeilles and other towns. Cormeilles almost rivalled Oxford St and the Mairie in Lieurey was a real picture. For future reference - for Christmas the bakers in Lieurey on the Cormeilles road make Calvados Truffles which were very reasonably priced (half the price we paid in the chocolate shop in PA) and were the best chocolate truffles we've had in a long time. The bad news was that the roofer still hasn't started work! While I'm on that topic - I need a concrete floor laid - has anyone used any of the local builders? I've been warned off the largest firm in Lieurey. I did think of doing it myself with readymix but it's too much to do on my own and by the time I've paid for friends to come over and stay it is unlikely to be worth my while. Best Regards Alan. 

If you are planning to use lime putty then the Mike Wye web site www.mikewye.co.uk has mixes to use. If using Hydraulic lime then www.stastier.co.uk or www.stastier.fr has instructions for mix and application. Mike Wye also has a video that demonstrates techniques for different finishes and for rendering onto lath. He runs one day courses, one of which I attended and found very useful. Best Regards Alan.

Robin Thanks for the update. Do you know if this is available via the web? I tried entering both "Daily Mail" and "DailyMail" in the promotion code and both were rejected. Best Regards Alan.

"but it would make life so much better for the people who deserve freedom and to be able to live their lives without the risk from thugs" So perhaps we could exclude people who are antisocial enought to have babies by other peoples wives and leave the nightclubs and football grounds free for right-thinking people like ourselves? Best Regards Alan.  

With Credit Agricole Calvados (www.ca-calvados.fr) I can check on my account via the internet - no problems. I asked for an online PIN which was sent to my home in the UK. There is no charge for the service. I think I can also make payments etc but have never had the need to try doing that. Best Regards Alan.

No. We did so from an established reputable company after a long discussion as to what we were trying to achieve. Whether this was legal or not I don't know, but our Maire was happy enough to pass the time of day over a coffee when he called round to see what we were doing and the local Gendarme waved as he drove past. Best Regards Alan.

John When in Rome. There is little correspondence between the rules that pertain in one's own country and those that exist in a country that we visit. I can accept that I need a passport to visit someone else's country, not that I need one, or its equivalent, in my own. I wouldn't choose to live in a country where the president is exempt from criminal prosecution for corruption that is widely accepted as being fact. Where senior members of the judiciary tell me that I should flout the law until someone more powerful than myself tells me to do otherwise.  A country where the press isn't allowed to comment on the hypocrisy of the establishment. A country where the citizens are so disenchanted with the political establishment that the presidential election becomes a run off between a crook and a racist and mainstream politicians are voted out of the race early on because they haven't got a chance. Such a place might be pleasant to visit but I would expect to be subject to complaints from its citizens as to the corruption of the political establishment. Lo and behold, that's exactly what I get, but I still might ask , what benefit do they get from the compulsory carrying of identity cards. As to references to Spain and the joys of carrying an identity card there for a give away fee - tell that to the hundreds of thousands, if not millions who were, within living memory, butchered because or their political beliefs. Ask yourself if that would have been possible without ready identification of the population, the picking out of the non believers? I know that there are currenly few similarities between the UK today and Franco's Spain but experience says that the more powers we give to politicians and the state then the more they will use them. Still not one real argument for carrying a card, just some snipes at those who don't see the need. Best Regard Alan.

French people may well carry identity cards - that in itself is not an argument why we should carry one. The French citizen's relationship with the state has traditionally been totally different to that of the British subject and I for one see no reason to change it. The French are no safer from terrorism than us because they carry identity cards nor are they any less likely to be the victims of fraud. My local paper has a story warning shopkeepers to be on the lookout for credit card and cheque fraudsters  - apparently the shopkeepers in Paris are now on the lookout for fraud so the sharpsters are targeting the provinces. Surely the ID card should stop all this - gosh, no it doesn't The idea that an identity card that is not compulsory will stop identity theft and identity fraud just doesn't hold water. The cards WILL be forged and will just create a sense of security for the average punter which won't be warranted. In addition some of the valid cards will generate duplicate biometrics or will simply fail as our bodies age. Once an identity card has been forged, or the biometrics fail to identify us the consequences for the poor victim will be many times worse than the current situation. Can you imagine what it will be like in a country where we are who our identity card says we are? When the identity card lies or gets it wrong it will place us in an horrific situation. Maybe I'm just getting old but I no longer buy the idea of a benevolent state. I've seen this government ride roughshod over parliament and while there is currently no real concerns about its intentions I wouldn't want to give them any more control over me than I absolutely have to. John - Di - you say that you don't see the problem as you are white middle class and don't engage in crime. This is the old "those who do nothing wrong I have nothing to fear" argument. That's fine until the definition of "nothing wrong" changes. Why give the state the power? It doesn't need it, it hasn't demonstrated that it needs it and it's going to charge you handsomely twice over for the privilege of extending it's control over you. First with a project to implement it that is highly likely to fail and then once it's ironed out the quirks into a sub optimal solution will charge you a small fortune for the right to prove who you are when you previously didn't need to do so anyway. I remain unconvinced. Best Regards Alan.

Eskenazi I may have missed something but I couldn't see how the fare could be more than £140 even if travelling out and back at peak times in tops season, ie travelling out Friday morning and back Sunday evening. While I agree it isn't as good as the £89-109 fares from the PoC it is comparable. For a longer break travelling at off peak times it is quite a bit cheaper - £80 compared to £130-150 with PoC, even in the height of the season. The real winners will be the cheap hotels in Calais. It will suddenly make sense to travel late at night, stay in a £20 hotel room and then travel on in the morning. Best Regards   Alan.

The new scheme will benefit those who can take longer trips and are flexible about the times they can travel - anyone who is retired and has a property in Northern France will be delighted with the scheme I should think. Trips can be had for £80 return at any time of the year. It won't be so good for the long weekend trip which will potentially cost a lot more for travel out on a Friday morning and back on Sunday evening for example. This will now cost £140 compared with a PoC cost as low as £89. I suspect the scheme will generate a lot of revenue for the low cost hotels in Calais - it's cheaper to travel out in the evening, stay overnight for onward travel in the morning than it is to travel out in the morning on the shuttle. As far as I can see the PoC benefit which allowed use of the Club check in lane no longer applies - that was also a good perk for those journeys at busy times. Given the low utilisation of the Club check in I would have thought that this was a good benefit that they could offer at little cost to themselves. Where I suspect Eurotunnel might gain in terms of generating volume is that for £390 it is possible to book 10 single tickets. In the summer a return ticket can cost £300 so they might generate a lot of trade from customers who decide that for an extra £90 they can get a whole raft of extra tickets. It's still a far cry from the £50 return on Speedferries but given the added frequency of crossings free from the risk of cancellation due to bad weather it seems a good scheme. Best Regards Alan.

Dick Unfortunately taxes on businesses do not directly make a lot of money for your local council - if they did they might be used to take action to control drinking black spots. Except in the City of London where special arrangements apply, the rates are pooled by central government and redistributed to local councils. Business rates are collected on behalf of central government by local councils and then distributed by central government according to a formula determined by them. Some might say the formula is designed to benefit councils deemed friendly to the government of the day but that would be a cynical view, wouldn't it? Sadly this sort of behaviour isn't new although the old boundaries don't seem to apply any longer. My daughter was seriously burnt last year when a drunk threw a hot drink over her when she resisted his clumsy physical advances. It was only the quick action of the nearby catering stall holder who helped her douse herself with cold water that prevented serious and permanent scarring. This was in the centre of Cambridge. In my day this sort of thing would usually have been confined to lad on lad but a good number of my friends experienced beatings in our relatively quiet suburban town in the 70s. Indeed, I was at a party a few years ago talking to an older friend when he pointed out a large gent of relatively advanced years and said to me - "goodness, that's xxxxx. I haven't seen him for years.  I remember going to the dances at the Corn Market after the war and he'd stand on the steps and pick fights with anyone he didn't like the look of and given them a real good beating. Anyone from out of town was fair game". It is certainly true that drink is the cause of the problem and in times gone by a publican would generally not have allowed customers to get as plastered as young people do today. This seems to be due to the lack of any form of control in the large drinking establishments that seem to be run by 18 year olds who are encouraged to sell as much drink as possible. Young people who are clearly under age are admitted providing they can show some form of fake ID. My experience in these places is that as soon as ones glass is empty a young lady appears to whip it away and take orders for the next - lingering over a slow pint is not encouraged. Perhaps if these places lost their licences if they were shown to be serving alcohol to the seriously inebriated then they would re-think their policies. I do hope that the young Frenchman won't judge all English by the behaviour of a few louts but inevitably his view of England will be coloured by this experience. Best Regards Alan.

I have to agree with Jond. I firmly believe that we should give the authorities the absolute minimum of control over our lives consistent with maintaining a stable society. If I had heard a single argument that truly demonstrated the need for ID cards then I would comply with the requirement to hold one. The arguments simply aren't there. If there is no compulsion to carry the card then perhaps someone could help me to understand how it stops benefit fraud, illegal immigration and terrorism. I would wager a tidy sum that within a short time of the cards being issued, even, probably, in advance of their issue, that counterfeit cards will be available that will evade all but the most stringent of checks. Most likely allowing cheats and frauds to steal the identity of some hapless person. Determined fraudsters and criminals will always find a way around the system. The most likely reaction of the goverment will then be to up the ante. How long before carrying the cards is made compulsory with police powers to demand to see them on the spot? The best case scenario will be that, at tremendous cost (to the law abiding taxpayer), the miscreants will carry on regardless while the rest of us have given up more power to the state and created an army of bureaucrats to manage the scheme. I'm glad Blunkett has resigned but no doubt this half baked scheme will still go ahead. Best Regards Alan.  

Has anyone checked whether they have received points for bookings made on the 15th of November? The information relating to awards of points in the runup to the closedown of the scheme said in November that bookings up to and including the 15th of Nov would be eligible for points. I worked out that I was 108 points short of the breakpoint for an extra trip so I rang on the 15th and specifically asked if I would still get the points for a booking for next year made on the 15th and was told that yes, it was the last day on which points could be earned, so I booked a long stay Property Owners Club ticket. I checked my account today and lo and behold - points for the bookings I made earlier in November are on the account but no award for the booking made on the 15th and the text on the site has been changed to "bookings made before 15th of November". I'll chase them up but would be interested to see if anyone else is in the same boat. Best Regards Alan.

The proprietors of the Petit Coq are a good source of information regarding renovation. They have had their own house outside Campginy renovated using traditional methods and have a photographic record of the conversion of Le Petit Coq itself. The Hotel in Lieurey is the Bras D'Or where we also have had a good meal although it was a bit lonely with just us in the large dining room. The Friday farmers market in Pont Audemer is always good for a visit. We are over next weekend but have to go on the Sunday so will be visiting the Monday market to buy our Christmas goose. With any luck it will be sunny enough to sit outside on the pavement at the Cafe de la Risle to have a coffee while watching the world go by. A visit to the fromagerie and chocolatiere (sp?) in the Rue de la Republique will be a must as well.   Best Regards Alan.

Le Petit Coq au Champs at Campigny near Pont Audemer is excellent as are the-Cochon D'or and La Poste in Beuzeville. The bar opposite La Poste is a lively venue for an early evening drink even if it is a bit smoke filled. Le Canel in Pont Audemer is good if a little unconventional and for a good cheap meal Le Victor in Pont Audemer. The Belle Isle sur Risle in Pont Audemer features in many guides but the food we have had there has been mediocre, including dishes still frozen inside while the outside is microwave piping hot, and it's expensive. For us the real treat is the Hotel de France in St Georges du Vievre - very simple but good home cooked food in a restaurant just about big enough to swing a cat in. Something I'm keen to try is dinner at one of the restaurants around the dock in Honfleur in mid winter sitting outside under the heated canopy. We are going over next weekend so maybe we'll get the chance to try one out. Many speak highly of the Auberge in Bec Helouin but we've always found it very unwelcoming. In Lieurey we've been warned off Chez Joel by a number of people so haven't tried it. We tried Les Fauveries on the road between Lieurey and Cormeilles once and it was not a good experience but our neighbours recommend it so maybe we just had an off evening. We haven't tried any of the restaurants in Cormeilles so any recommendations would be welcome. Best Regards Alan.

A far cry from the "turn up and go" philosophy. First they cheese off their regular car passengers by scrapping the PoC without offering an alternative, now they do the same with the freight traffic. I'm now starting to wonder when the banks will feel that they have to take over the administration of the tunnel. I read at the weekend that they are reluctant to do so for fear of litigation from the small shareholders. On the other hand, if the current management at Eurotunnel provoke a freight boycott then will that force the banks' hand? Ever the optimist. Alan.

We too are based near Lieurey - towards St Georges du Vievre. Maison secondaire, well to be truthful a very slow barn conversion. For "city life" we tend to go to Pont Audemer rather than Cormeilles largely because when we first came to look around we stayed in a B&B near there and got to like the old town.   We also like the Monday and Friday markets in Pont Audemer - sitting outside a cafe watching the world go by on market day is one of lifes pleasures. The character of the area has changed very much since we first came here. It's become very popular for Maison Secondaires for people from the Paris area. I guess with the opening of the new autoroute that trend will accelerate. One of our neighbours likes to say that he has dinner in Paris and goes to bed in Normandy, with the new road it will be even quicker for him. Best Regards Alan.  

The web site also gives the speed limits for each camera. The Caen limit was 90kph. Interestingly it shows a speed camera on the approach to Rouen that I must have passed many times but never noticed. Regards Alan.